¶ A lobbyist for Koch Industries drew attention for having private talks with members of a Kansas House committee regarding a bill to weaken renewable energy requirements.[Kansas City Business Journal]

¶ A bill that started out as a three-year moratorium on wind projects in Vermont has been changed, but still has the strong opposition of renewable-energy advocates who argue it would essentially halt those projects. [BurlingtonFreePress.com]

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February 26, 2013

US:

¶ The leading candidate to replace departing energy secretary Steven Chu is Ernest Moniz, director of the Energy Initiative at MIT. [Nature.com]

¶ The Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation is heading a demonstration program for construction of what may prove to be North America’s first freshwater offshore wind farm, on Lake Erie about 6 miles off the coast of Cleveland. [DesignBuild Source]

¶ The Montana Senate narrowly killed a measure to allow homes and businesses to install larger renewable power systems that can sell excess energy they generate back to the utility. [The Missoulian]

¶ American Electric Power will stop burning coal at three power plants in the Midwest and pay $8.5 million as part of a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection agency, states and environmental groups. [Power Engineering Magazine]

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February 25, 2013

World:

¶ Estonia is the first country to establish a system of fast-charging stations for electric vehicles. [Nitrobahn]

¶ India has added 10,431 MW of renewable power in the last three years, surpassing a target of 9,623 MW. [SteelGuru]

¶ Analysts at Deutsche Bank predict that the global solar PV sector will transition from a subsidised market to a sustainable market within a year, citing the arrival of “grid parity” in a number of key markets, unexpectedly strong demand, and rebounding margins. [RenewEconomy]

February 24, 2013

Economy:

World:

¶ At European power rates, it is less expensive to install unsubsidized solar panels on the roof than to buy power from utilities. [The News International]

US:

¶ US utilities are increasingly turning to wind power, which is increasingly cost-competitive. The number of utilities owning large wind farms has increased by more than 50% in the last year. [Power Engineering Magazine]

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February 23, 2013

Science and Technology:

¶ NASA has been developing a new form of nuclear power, which proponents claim could put a reactor into every house, car, or airplane. [Forbes]

World:

¶ A goal of 100% renewable power is turning out to be the new normal. It is a goal for communities, companies, and nations. Some are for the near future. At least one has already been achieved. [CleanTechnica]

¶ More than 100 GW of windpower is currently in the production pipeline in China. Current government goals are for 10 GW of solar and 18 GW of wind to be installed in 2013. [Greentech Media]

February 22, 2013

World:

¶ The first large-scale renewable energy projects in South Africa are scheduled to begin delivering power in 2014. [EcoSeed]

¶ Saudi Arabia is inviting bids on a contracts in a massive renewable energy procurement programme, which could see 54 GW of new capacity added to the grid by 2032. [Business Green]

US:

¶ Entergy’s twenty year plan includes no renewable power. It is entirely dependent on nuclear, coal, and natural gas. [Examiner.com]

¶ A report from the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Alliance to Save Energy Commission on National Energy Efficiency Policy says the US could cut 50% of its energy requirements through efficiency by 2030. [EcoSeed]

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February 21, 2013

Economics:

¶ Smart big money investors finally see green in the green sector and are putting their money where their mouth is.[Huffington Post]

World:

¶ Sixty percent of Japan’s large thermal power plants stand in areas at risk of a major earthquake, according to a study by Asahi Shimbun. [Asahi Shimbun]

¶ The German Environment Minister Peter Altmaier says he is seeking a consensus for the plans include cuts in subsidies for renewables projects and reduced support for energy-intensive companies to make the switch to renewables affordable, not to reduce them. [Businessweek]

US:

¶ The US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has launched a new tool to help communities assess their readiness for electric vehicles. [Phys.Org]

¶ The State of Vermont is launching a new program to make low-interest loans available to businesses for renewable energy and efficiency projects. [Boston.com]

¶ Officials at Vermont Yankee say the plant will go ahead with refueling this spring, ending speculation that it will close this year. [BurlingtonFreePress.com]

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February 20, 2013

World:

¶ BMW is just on of many German companies installing wind turbines to reduce costs and protect profits. [San Francisco Chronicle]

US:

¶ Renewable energy sources accounted for 100% of capacity installed in the US in January of 2013. [Grist]

¶ Hundreds of people showed up for a moratorium on windpower in New Hampshire. [NewHampshire.com]

¶ Policies transitioning Colorado’s energy supply to renewables and natural gas will make electricity the cleanest fuel by far for automobiles by 2020. [PR Web]

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February 19, 2013

Science and Economics:

¶ Fossil fuel prices do not include the costs of their side effects such as air pollution and the associated health care costs for premature deaths or asthma attacks. [ThinkProgress]

¶ Global Warming may be to blame for increased number and intensity of blizzards. [Huffington Post]

World:

¶ Solar power is cheaper in England than nuclear, with the result that growth in the nuclear sector is appearing less and less likely. [CleanTechnica]

US:

¶ Under the provisions of the Sanders-Boxer bill, a fee on carbon pollution emissions would fund what the senators call “historic investments” in energy efficiency and sustainable energy technologies, such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass. [Renew Grid]

February 18, 2013

¶ A seminar discussing the importance of windpower included a range of very interesting views from different science professors, supporting wind for different reasons. [RU Daily Targum]

World:

¶ The WWF has issued a report finding that the EU can and must meet 35% of its heating and 65% of its electricity needs with renewable energy by 2030 in order to be powered 100% by renewables in 2050. [solarserver.com]

US:

¶ Microsoft has pledged to be carbon-neutral by the end of 2013. The head of the program making the change is speaking about it. [Helena Independent Record]

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February 17, 2013

Science and Technology:

¶ Two discoveries involving lithium potentially make for more efficient and more affordable lithium batteries. [Forbes]

US:

¶ GE Wind is now the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer. [Nanowerk LLC]

¶ Windpower has set new records in Texas, Washington, and Colorado. [EarthTechling]

¶ According to a report prepared by Entergy, evacuating 90% of the 310,533 people living within Indian Point’s 10-mile evacuation zone would take 5.4 hours on a snowy winter day.[The Journal News | LoHud.com]

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February 16, 2013

World:

¶ China is ahead of schedule in a program to install 140 GW of windpower by 2015. [Greentech Media]

US:

¶ Bipartisan legislation introduced in the senate would streamline the permitting process for renewable energy projects on public lands. [Huffington Post]

¶ News on the attack on renewables in state legislatures:

… Renewable energy advocates are bracing to defend critical policies that have helped Texas become the leading wind-power state. [Fort Worth Star Telegram]

… Lawmakers in both the Kansas senate and house have started to hold hearings aimed at rolling back the state’s existing renewable energy portfolio standard. [ThinkProgress]

¶ An Entergy vice president tried to convince the Public Service Board that problems at the Vermont Yankee plant during the 10 years of Entergy ownership were irrelevant to the question of whether the plant should be allowed to run for another 20 years. [Barre Montpelier Times Argus]

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February 15, 2013

World:

¶ ”Fossil fuels ‘may prove worthless.’” Oxford University has begun research to identify carbon-dependent assets that could be devalued or written off if the world takes resolute action to limit emissions of greenhouse gases. [The Daily Climate]

¶ A moratorium on off-shore wind farms in Ontario to do “further scientific research,” is still in place two years later. Resulting reports are not conclusive, and the only result we can be sure about is a $2.25 billion lawsuit. [Toronto Star]

US:

¶ A policy document released by the White House provides details on points in the president’s state of the union address. They include a proposal to make the renewable energy production tax credit a permanent fixture of the tax code.[North American Windpower]

¶ The US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory Director and a blue-ribbon panel of 20 energy experts say the United States can double its energy productivity by 2030 in ways that strengthen the economy. [ThomasNet Industrial News Room]

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February 14, 2013

World:

¶ The Most Influential Climate Science Paper Today Remains Unknown to Most People. Nevertheless, it is transforming the climate change debate, prompting the financial world to rethink the value of the world’s fossil fuel reserves and giving environmental activists a moral argument for action.[Inside Climate News]

¶ The World Wide Fund for Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund) has a report detailing how Europe could cut its carbon emissions by 50% from 1990 levels by 2030, putting it on track to be based 100% on renewable energy by 2050. [Electric Light & Power]

US:

¶ One thing was notably left out of the state of the union address. The president talked about climate change, and mentioned solar, wind, and natural gas, but did not mention nuclear power at all. [World Nuclear News]

¶ PacifiCorp and the California ISO will work together to create an Energy Imbalance Market in which large geographic areas will engage in energy sharing to reduce the effects of intermittent power generation and produce a balanced overall grid. [Greentech Media]

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February 13, 2013

Opinion:

¶ A well-funded war on state support for renewable energy is being waged in all 29 states with renewable energy standards. It is financed and waged by a minority of conservatives with ties to fossil fuel interests, but it might give all conservatives a bad name. [Salon]

US News:

¶ President Obama restated a renewed commitment to clean energy and pledged to return manufacturing jobs to the US in his state of the union address. [PV-Tech]

¶ The US military has tested a microgrid called SPIDERS, with energy that is 90% renewable, and found only one glitch, as a piece of equipment failed to perform as expected. SPIDERS is being developed to provide a secure power source for the military, and for adoption by civilians. [RenewEconomy]

¶ The US government says nearly 400,000 off-grid mobile telecommunications base stations run on renewable or alternative energy sources will be deployed from 2012 to 2020.[Utility Products]

¶ US Bancorp has invested $930 million in renewables since 2008, and expects to invest more than that in the next four years. [OilPrice.com]

¶ Microsoft has given a progress report on its pledge to move toward being carbon neutral. [ZDNet]

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February 12, 2013

World:

¶ Polls show Germans overwhelmingly support renewable energy despite subsidies, contrary to what some politicians and American media say. [RenewEconomy]

US:

¶ The U.S. Department of the Interior has identified 14 solar, 6 wind and 3 geothermal power projects that it plans to push through the permitting process over the next two years. The projects have close to 5,300 MW of combined capacity.[PennEnergy]

¶ The drought has forced twenty ethanol plants to cease production. That is nearly 10% of all such plants in the US.[Indices Media]

¶ A ballot initiative to shut down California’s two remaining nuclear power plants until the federal government has figured out where to put high-level nuclear waste has been cleared for signature gathering. [KCET]

¶ The case on the Certificate of Public Good is now being considered by the Vermont Public Service Board. [Rutland Herald]

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February 11, 2013

Science and Technology:

¶ A low-carbon hybrid energy system is being investigated in China. It would have carbon dioxide emissions captured and reacted with hydrogen to produce more fuel or other carbon-based products. Power to drive the reaction would come from wind, solar, or nuclear. [AZoCleantech]

World:

¶ Greenpeace New Zealand says the country could produce 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025, and be fully reliant on renewables for all its energy 2050. This would save $7 billion a year by 2035, and create 27,000 jobs. [The Dominion Post]

US:

¶ Windpower is growing in Texas. The new Texas windpower project will be completed this year, producing 18.456 MW. This is causing problems for nuclear and coal facilities, and has prevented new nuclear plants from being built. [CleanTechnica]

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February 10, 2013

Opinion:

US:

¶ General Motors has become an associate member of the Solar Energy Industries Association. The company wants to contribute to support of the solar industry in the US and help in implementation of renewable energy policies. [Rush Lane]